Green Beans with Sesame and Chili

 

With a family of fussy eaters, I realised that I'm stuck in a rut of cooking the variations of the same meals from week to week. I told my guys that from now on I would be cooking at least one new recipe a week and hopefully find some new family favourites.

Last week I tried a recipe for Ribollita with Yondu. Yondu is a Korean seasoning which unlocks natural flavours in blander foods. This Vegetable Umami all-purpose savoury seasoning is perfect for plant-rich cooking.

A few days ago they shared another recipe, which I wanted to try - Green Beans with Sesame and Chili.

Fall in love with Autumn’s most underrated vegetable

 

Chef Bettina Campolucci Bordi, author of Happy Food, 7 Day Vegan Challenge and most recently CELEBRATE, is sharing her killer green bean recipe with Asian-inspired flavours and a kick of her a favourite umami ingredient: Yondu. Bettina has show her 128k Instagram followers that, with the right seasoning, even the most simple greens can be dressed to impress.

 

As home cooks get excited about medleys of roasted root vegetables, Bettina warns to not overlook one of this season’s most nutritious choices - the humble green bean. Fresh, vibrant and vitamin-rich, these greens are in season from late summer right into the heart of Autumn. Adding just 50ml of Yondu’s umami seasoning will add depth of flavours, and bring this versatile vegetable to life.

 

For the dressing, Bettina suggests combining Yondu with chili, garlic and maple syrup to infuse these greens with natural flavour. The result will be ready in ten minutes and can be served warm as a side with dinner or cold as a salad for lunch. Sprinkled with spring onions and crispy shallots, you’ll never turn your nose up at green beans again!

 

The Best Green Beans with Sesame & Chili (recipe courtesy of Bettina Campolucci Bordi and Yondu)

Ingredients

400 grams of green beans

2 sprigs of spring onions chopped

 

Dressing

50ml of Yondu

10 mm of maple syrup

1/2 thumb of ginger grated

small garlic clove grated

1/2 red chili sliced

 

Sprinkles                                                                                                                                     

Crispy shallots ( the ones you buy)

2 tbsp of sesame seeds

 

Method

Get a pot of water boiling while you wash and trim the ends of your green beans. Once water is boiling add a pinch of salt along with your green beans and let them boil for about 5 minutes. You still want them to have a bite. While they are cooking mix Yondu, maple syrup, grated garlic and ginger and mix. Slice the spring onions and chili and set aside.

 

Drain the beans and plate or add to a shallow bowl, pour the dressing on top and sprinkle with spring onions, crispy shallots and chili. Give the beans a bit of a mix and eat straight away. They will be sweet and salty, crispy and spicy all at the same time! Incredibly delicious!

 

Notes

 

Yondu is available to purchase via its UK website and Amazon, retailing at £6.88 for 275ml. Visit www.yondu.co.uk/recipes/ for cooking inspiration.

 

Follow the brand on Instagram: @yondu.uk and Facebook: @yondu.uk.

 

Notes about Yondu:

 

• Yondu’s philosophy of healthy living stems from its creator company, Sempio, an established Korean food company
• For over 70 years Sempio is committed to expanding the world's culinary horizons through the art of fermentation
• Yondu is a 100% plant based product. It includes organic soybean, sea-salt, eight vegetable broth, and yeast extract  
• Yondu is clean label, certified Organic, non-GMO, vegan, and gluten-free 
• Non-GMO organic soybeans are triple-fermented over the course of 100 days, then blended with the savoury broth of onions, white radishes, leeks, cabbage, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, ginger and garlic to create Yondu’s unique flavour that enhances the taste of a variety of cuisines 
• The Yondu Culinary Studio in New York is where Yondu develop culinary solutions and ideas. Including a team of chefs that create healthy recipes. The team is led by Jaume Biarnes who was previously the culinary director at Alicia Food & Science Lab founded by Ferran Adrià, a pioneer of molecular gastronomy 

My notes:

I have halved the ingredients, as I had a pack of 200g green beans. The recipe is easily halved (or doubled if you are cooking for a bigger family). Instead of the grated ginger I used a ginger paste.

It is a delicious side dish, which will work perfectly well with a vegetarian meal, or served with fish or chicken. I will definitely be making this side dish again. Typically I just add a dressing of lime/lemon juice and maple syrup or honey to green beans, but Bettina's recipe is inspired. Love the combination of flavours and textures. I think sesame seeds might be better toasted. And I would give the green beans another minute or two of cooking time. 

Disclosure: I received a bottle of Yondu for testing and reviewing. All the other ingredients are not supplied.

The recipe is being published with kind permission from Yondu. 

All images are my own.